Britain counts cost of diplomatic furore over Berezovsky

Britain was nursing a giant diplomatic headache last night, aware that Boris Berezovsky's outburst will damage relations at a time when Russia's cooperation is vital to maintaining pressure on Iran, avoiding a bust-up over the US nuclear shield in eastern Europe, and resolving conflict over energy supplies.

The furore also probably extinguishes any hope that Russia will agree to let suspects be extradited to Britain over the London poisoning of former KGB agent Alexander Litvinenko.

Indeed, Britain would privately like to be shot of Mr Berezovsky, but knows it is inconceivable that a British court would rule he would get a fair trial in Moscow.

The Crown Prosecution Service would have to act on behalf of the Russian government to seek his extradition. The CPS is advised by the Metropolitan police, which is now considering whether he has committed any offences.

The Foreign Office, caught between the law and realpolitik, is aware that it has to deal with Vladimir Putin, and sees little sign his regime is going to fall. As a result, Britain has previously tried to mollify Russian diplomats by warning Mr Berezovsky over his attacks on the Putin government.

The Russian businessman was given asylum by Britain in 2003. The then foreign secretary, Jack Straw, last year publicly warned him to be more careful in his choice of words after he gave an interview in January 2006 which infuriated the Russian authorities.

In a written Commons statement, Mr Straw stressed Mr Berezovsky had not come to Britain at the government's invitation, and it would "take action against those who use the UK as a base from which to foment violent disorder or terrorism in other countries. Advocating the violent overthrow of a sovereign state is unacceptable and we condemn these comments unreservedly," he said.

"Those granted asylum in the United Kingdom have duties to the UK which require, in particular, that they conform to its laws and regulations." He added that "refugee status can be reviewed at any time where it is considered their presence is not conducive to the public good".

Yet in practice few courts are likely to believe Mr Berezovsky can safely be extradited, on the basis of belief that he would not receive a fair trial in Russia.

The Russians, less steeped in concepts of judicial independence, are convinced Britain is deliberately shielding someone who is seeking to foment a coup against a democratically elected leader.

But former Foreign Office adviser David Clark also argues there would be no reciprocal cooperation from Russia: "Russia's prosecutor's office has stated a request would probably be refused, because the Russian constitution prohibits extradition of citizens. If anything, Britain should stop appeasing, since it is clear they are using the justice system to clamp down on dissent. The government has been offering the Russians far too much cooperation."

The UK investigation of the Litvinenko case has been complicated by the Russian authorities trying to mount a parallel investigation in London, focused on suspects many see as enemies of Mr Putin.

Alexander Zvyagintsev, Russia's deputy prosecutor general, has said he wants to question more than 100 witnesses and visit several sites in London where polonium-210 was found. Some of those whom Russian prosecutors will want to question are critics of Mr Putin, the subject of extradition requests in the past.

Among the 100 suspects is Mr Berezovsky, who has accused the Kremlin of being behind Mr Litvinenko's death - a claim Russian officials deny. Mr Berezovsky has been the subject of two extradition attempts; the total cost to the UK taxpayer of Russia's attempt to extradite oligarchs is put at £3m. His asylum stems from a court claim that an agent had been sent to kill him with a poisoned pen.

Backstory

Russian billionaire Boris Berezovsky, 61, made his fortune through buying state assets after the Soviet Union's collapse, before falling out with his country's political class. He fled to Britain in 2000 and was granted political asylum in 2003.

Mr Berezovsky has since sought to portray himself as a pro-democracy campaigner, repeatedly criticising President Vladimir Putin and appearing to advocate the use of force to overthrow him. He was threatened with removal of his refugee status by the then foreign secretary, Jack Straw, after claiming on Russian radio in January last year he had been planning a coup to overthrow Mr Putin.

Mr Berezovsky was a friend of the poisoned Russian dissident Alexander Litvinenko and accused Mr Putin over his death. Russian prosecutors have twice tried and failed to have him extradited from Britain.

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